


5 Times Macy And Harry Went On A Date And The One Time They Actually Did

by teakturn



Category: Charmed (TV 2018)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Awkward Crush, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Harry is Clueless, Macy just wants to figure out her feelings, Maggie stans, Mel is supportive, Mutual Pining, POV Macy Vaughn, Pining, Pining Harry, Pining Macy, Sibling Bonding, Sister-Sister Relationship, Sisters, Whitelighter, Witch/Whitelighter Relationship, harry - Freeform, liberal use of the simulation orb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2020-09-25 23:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20380057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teakturn/pseuds/teakturn
Summary: Sure, Macy and Harry agreed to let go what she had read from his mind while she was all Sourced-out, but Macy was a scientist. She couldn’t just let something go the second her mind pondered the possibility. And she was definitely pondering the possibility.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *Do not steal or repost my work*

Sure, Macy and Harry agreed to let go what she had read from his mind while she was all Sourced-out, but Macy was a scientist. She couldn’t just let something go the second her mind pondered the possibility. And she was definitely pondering the possibility. 

Now that the supernatural world had decided the Charmed Ones were their new protectors, the manor often had magical beings and creatures showing up on their front step in a variety of magical and increasingly invasive ways. It was decided after a particularly painful visit from a few local Satyrs that Harry would move back in. Just in case any other magical creature decided to show up on their porch without calling first. 

Plus Mel was one more fairy visit away from warding the whole house against any magical creatures so it was just best that Harry was on hand to soothe any rising tensions.

The only problem was the fact that his presence was causing an all-new kind of tension in the Vera-Vaughn household.

For one, Macy had never quite paid attention to the strong, elegance of Harry’s hands. When he was separating eggs, pointing out a line in the Book of Shadows, or gesticulating with his teacup during meetings, Macy’s eyes couldn’t help but track their movement. It was worse when he would raise his hand, fingers poised to snap, and she began thinking of all the fun ways they could use a power like that in the bedroom.

Those thoughts would immediately be followed by Macy’s cheeks heating and Maggie sending her knowing looks from wherever she was in the room.

It was one thing when knowing that Harry was attracted to her was just a statement of fact. Water is wet, the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, Harry is attracted to me. Now with the knowledge that she wasn’t exactly unattracted to him banging around in her head, Macy couldn’t get the idea of them together out of her mind. 

This wasn’t like her teenage crush on the brothers from Heavens Vice. Her crush on Harry was crowded by the knowledge that he had feelings for her. The fact that he was her whitelighter and thus sworn to protect her and her sisters before anything else. 

And finally, the fact that they probably need more time alone before jumping into a new relationship.

Losing Gavin had been a surprising blow to her heart Macy had not prepared herself for. And she knew that Harry and Charity were more than they allowed the sisters to see. He couldn’t possibly be taking her death or betrayal any better than Macy. They needed more time, Macy concluded. So for a time, she tucked away Harry’s feelings and the surprising appearance of her own and life went on.

Her grief became more bearable. Being a Charmed One never got easier but Macy got used to it anyway. Her bond with her sisters and her magic deepened. Time passed just as Macy had wanted it to and soon enough she no longer felt a rush of guilt anytime she admired Harry in a new waistcoat. There was no shameful, silent reprimand when she stared a little too long at the finger he slipped into his mouth after sampling some batter.

Macy settled into her attraction for Harry as effortless as she settled into their friendship. It wasn’t long before she wondered if it really would be that awful if they tried to be together.

First, she went to Maggie. If anyone knew the best way to go about dealing with emotions it was the empath of the family. Macy found the courage to approach her younger sister on a night Harry and Mel were out gathering evidence for the demon of the week. Maggie sat at her vanity, straightening her hair and blasting upbeat pop music.

She was much happier these days, Macy knew. Now that the sting of Parker’s departure was no longer as sharp as that first goodbye, Maggie began showing signs of her old self again. Macy held off coming to her with the Harry dilemma expressly because she was still dealing with her own heartbreak. 

Now, standing in front of Maggie’s vanity as she drew the flat iron down the length of her hair, Macy wondered if she’d actually hesitated because she was a coward. 

“I can feel your anxiety from here, Mace,” Maggie looked up at her with wide, playful brown eyes. “Out with it, before you explode.”

Macy laughed shakily, “So, remember when you and Mel asked me about the powers I had when I was the Source?”

Maggie’s brow furrows but Macy can’t tell if it’s in confusion or worry. Before she can over examine the expression she plows on, “Well I kind of...left out the part where I read Harry’s mind.” Wincing, Macy peeked at Maggie. Her eyebrows had risen up but she made no move to interrupt her. Macy had been really hoping she would interrupt her.

“And then,” Macy gulped then continued, “I read his mind and found out he has feelings for me.”

Maggie blinked twice and then shook her head, “Say what?”

Macy pressed her lips together and nodded, “Yup,”

It was as if the hard drive in Maggie’s brain had crashed. She stared past Macy into space for a few seconds before shaking her head again, as if rebooting. “I’m sorry I think I blacked out for a second. Did you say-”

“Harry Greenwood, tea-drinking, posh-pin wearing, Harry, has feelings for me.” Macy bit her lip and looked down at her shoes, “And I think I have feelings for him.”

Maggie stared at Macy as if she’d lost her mind, “You think?” 

Her hand shot out before Macy could stop her and latched on to her wrist. A tugging at the edge of what Macy could only describe as her soul made Macy snatch her wrist out of Maggie’s grasp.

“Boundaries!”

Maggie gasped, her face enlightened with a deeper knowledge of Macy’s feelings than her words could have conveyed. When Maggie began jumping up and down in her seat, her face split into a wide grin and her flat iron forgotten in her hand, Macy shyly smiled. 

_Maggie’s reaction was a good thing, right? This thing between her and Harry couldn’t be so absurd if Maggie was into it. Then again,_ Macy couldn’t help but counter,_ Maggie was a hopeless romantic. She couldn’t help but want her and Harry to be happy so if being together made them happy she’d encourage it regardless of the consequences._

“Omg! You guys would be so cute together!” Maggie clasped her hands in front of her chest, her smile was beautiful and Macy couldn’t help but return a shaky one of her own.

“So you don’t think it’s…” Macy searched for the right word. What could possibly encompass the enormity and impossibility of a witch and her whitelighter falling in love?

“Amaze-balls, sweet, and totally perfect in the grand scheme of things?” Maggie rattled off happily.

Macy chuckled and shook her head, “Or impossible, doomed for failure-”

Maggie placed a hand on Macy’s thigh to stop her, “Mace, c’mon don’t talk yourself out of it. If Harry feels even half of what you feel this couldn’t possibly go wrong.”

Macy loved her sister but the scientist in her couldn’t help but think of all the ways that statistically things could go wrong. She and Harry worked together, sort of, would their relationship get in the way of a mission? If one of them were captured would they be able to think clearly enough to stop whatever threat there was to humanity without throwing it all away to save the other’s life? How would their relationship affect things at home with Mel and Maggie? Sure Maggie was endlessly supportive now but what if in actuality they’re more annoying as a couple?

“Okay,” Maggie pointedly lifted her hand off of Macy’s thigh, “I didn’t even get all that but I know you’re overreacting.”

Macy smiled sheepishly, “Sorry. I can’t just go off of blind faith Maggie. I need evidence, fact. As of now, all I have is the knowledge that the Elder’s forbid witch and whitelighter relationships for some reason. That can’t be taken lightly.”

Maggie obviously didn’t think the same way but she nodded supportively anyway. For a moment both sisters sat in silence. Maggie was still grappling with the fact that Macy and Harry had any possibility of being a thing while Macy was preoccupied with thoughts of why anything between them would be a terrible idea.

Macy needed a way to test her hypothesis. Feelings were nebulous and ever-changing. Macy understood feelings as well as Maggie understood being a geneticist. But science, testing a hypothesis through experimentation, that was as familiar to Macy as breathing.

Suddenly, Macy had an idea.

“Hey, Mags,”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know where Harry’s training orb is?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Well, are you going to let me in?" Not!Harry spoke in a gravelly, yet still distinctly English voice. There was no impatience in his tone just confidence bordering on arrogance and familiar warmth. He was still Harry, after all, the orb could only change so much._
> 
> _Macy burst out laughing so hard she began to snort and choke. Her hand slapped up to cover her giggles and Not!Harry’s wooden smirk didn’t falter. She couldn't pause to breathe, because every time she did she took one look at Not!Harry and the laughter started up all over again. _

Macy woke up in her own bed and felt neither too tired or too well-rested. When she left her room she skipped over her usual morning routine and found herself standing in an empty kitchen. Her teeth felt brushed, her skin felt like she'd put on makeup, and her natural curls were popping in a way she could never manage without at least an hour of work.

"Okay, so the training orb skips over the boring stuff. Great." Macy nodded to herself.

She casually wandered through the orbs version of her house cataloging all the details that were new or unchanged. The house felt brighter as if every window was opened and the sky had personally created a patch of sunlight right on their house.

A quick peek into Maggie and Mel's rooms revealed both of Macy's sisters to be gone.

"Convenient,"

The sound of the doorbell and then rapid knocking from the first floor shocked Macy out of her thoughts so suddenly she jumped. She looked around to make sure no one had seen but then realized how unnecessary that was because she's the only one in the house. 

The doorbell sounded again followed by knocking that only increased in urgency the longer it went on. Macy approached the foyer warily. She knew exactly what to expect on the other side of the door but anxiety held her back. _What if her crush had been just that, a crush? What if the second she had to do anything romantic with him she'd realize that she just really enjoyed the proud little tie adjustment he did every time he received a compliment and not the man himself?_

Anxious thoughts be damned, Macy approached the door and opened it before the knocking could go on for any longer.

On the other side of the door was a version of Harry Macy had never seen before. He was wearing a leather jacket and with a white undershirt stretched taught over a surprisingly sculpted chest. His hair, usually so neatly arranged, look like he’d just rolled out of bed and then hopped on a motorcycle without a helmet. Her eyes tracked down to acid-washed jeans, worn black boots, and a pair of aviator sunglasses nestled in the nest of Harry's perfectly tousled hair. 

It was certainly _a_ look, though not one Macy had ever thought she’d see the perfectly posh whitelighter in. 

She honestly couldn’t decide if she was attracted to him or not through all the denim and the smirk on lips that looked much more suited to a gentle smile. When Macy stopped studying Not!Harry, she noticed that he looked a lot like Gideon from Heaven's Vice. The jeans, the hair, the ...wife beater. It was a dead-on 90s bad boy look and Harry’s compact body couldn’t look odder in the getup.

Not!Harry looked her up and down and a sultry smirk slowly spread across his lips. One eyebrow popped up when Macy continued to stare. The act fully solidified Macy's belief that the orb had created a not too shabby Gideon cosplay and then slapped it on Harry.

"Well, are you going to let me in?" Not!Harry spoke in a gravelly, yet still distinctly English voice. There was no impatience in his tone just confidence bordering on arrogance and familiar warmth. He was still Harry, after all, the orb could only change so much.

Macy burst out laughing so hard she began to snort and choke. Her hand slapped up to cover her giggles and Not!Harry’s wooden smirk didn’t falter. She couldn't pause to breathe, because every time she did she took one look at Not!Harry and the laughter started up all over again. 

"Hey, it's your fantasy!" Not!Harry shrugged, unbothered by her laughter.

Macy nodded and tried to breathe around each helpless giggle that spilled from her mouth, “I-I….I know! It’s just….” she pointed at his chest, “I’m just…..” another giggle spilled out and Macy was off. Bent over with laughter and crying real tears of laughter for the first time in her life. With what strength she had left, Macy shut the door on Not!Harry and on the simulation altogether.

As the door shut Macy rolled over on her bed, still helplessly giggling. She peeked at the training orb and found Not!Harry still at her front door looking like a character from a cheesy 90s tv show. That’s how Mel found her. Macy had managed to get her giggling under control when her sister stuck her head in the doorframe.

“Okay spill, what’s so funny?”

Macy waved her hand, “It’s nothing,” She sighed when the laughter bubbling in her chest finally subsided. Though she was able to breathe again, her abs ached and she’d squashed her hair rolling around on the pillow. Macy sat up in bed and beckoned Mel inside.

“You headed out?” Macy nodded at her purse and cute, though still all black, getup. Back when Maggie and Mel switched bodies, Maggie had a lot of fun dressing their sister up in garish colors and cheetah print that the practical Mel would never choose for herself. Since then, Mel had carefully broadened her wardrobe to add more feminine clothing options.

Not everyone could be like Maggie with her bold use of colors and prints on patterns. Macy could see Mel was trying in her own way. She looked beautiful. When she said as much Mel blushed uncharacteristically and pushed her hair behind her ear.

“Ugh, yeah. Maggie says it’s time I stop moping about Jada and Niko and just go out…” Mel shrugged and looked down at her outfit, “For me.”

Macy smiled softly, “I think that’s a great idea.” 

Losing Niko had been hard for Mel, Macy knew. She herself hadn’t spent much time with the former cop turned PI, but she’d seen how much Mel loved her. Mourning their relationship and Jada’s departure had left the usually tenacious Melanie Vera depressed and averse to leaving the house. Macy respected her sister for putting herself out there again. She wasn’t like Maggie breathlessly hoping for a fateful reunion, but Macy was happy Mel was no longer hurting so badly.

“You wanna come? Mags said she’d be done by eight-thirty but,” They both looked at Macy’s bedside clock. It was well past eight-thirty.

Macy brightened, she loved going out with her sisters. Maggie may have an alcohol tolerance higher than someone her age should have, but that talent has led to many hilarious nights watching the petite woman drink men under the table. Mel had a way of riling up just the sort of sexist jerk that trolled bars at night looking for women like they were trophies. In the end, they fell into the challenge headfirst. Macy enjoyed cheering her sisters on as Mel set them up and Maggie took them down with shot after shot.

Even on those nights when Macy had to be the designated driver. Especially those nights where Harry tagged along and she had some help wrangling two drunk Vera’s.

Those were the nights when she and Harry worked together to put a drunk Mel to bed. Maggie usually bid them goodnight not soon after so she’d have time to go through her multistep nighttime skincare routine. With the house more or less to themselves, Macy and Harry would make tea and snack on cookies or muffins that always seemed to be in the fridge. They’d talk and sit in the dark and share a cup of tea.

It was a calming, right before bed ritual Macy had honestly come to look forward to. Before her crush, that is.

“Is Harry going?” Macy asked in her most casual voice.

Mel, suspicious by nature narrowed her eyes, “No,” she said carefully, “There was some faculty meeting for the Women’s Studies Department. He told Maggie and me not to wait up.”

Macy couldn’t help but sag back into bed. She didn’t know if she was disappointed or relieved. It was so stupid to be disappointed over him not going because she’d just been about to cancel if he was going. How could she face him after she’d laughed in the ....face of Heaven’s Vice!Harry just minutes ago? But how could she not face him? He was her whitelighter after all, what if they were out and there was an emergency, would she not call him?

“Okay, what is going on? I come in here and I find you laughing at nothing and now it looks like you’re actually disappointed that Harry’s not coming out with us.” Mel approached Macy’s bed and plopped down on it carelessly. She placed a hand on Macy’s thigh, “Talk to me. I want to understand what’s going on.”

Macy sighed and looked down at the hand Mel had placed on her leg. Should she tell her? Macy had already told Maggie. Plus Mel is persistent enough to find out on her own and it would feel worse for Macy if her sister confronted her with actual evidence of her infatuation with their whitelighter. Evidence meant she’d been a fool to think she could hide this from herself. A fool to think for a second that her feelings for their whitelighter weren’t obvious enough.

Macy took a deep breath, then she looked Mel in the eyes, “I...have a crush-er..._feelings_ for Harry.”

It took Mel more time than Maggie to digest that news. Maggie had the benefit of sensing Macy’s emotions, but Mel preferred facts and evidence. They were a lot alike in that way. While Macy explained that she read Harry’s mind while powered up as the Source she’d looked confused but on board. When Macy further explained that after putting Harry’s feelings aside so they could all grieve, and she’d somehow fallen even deeper in ...like with him, Mel began shaking her head.

“This doesn’t make sense...” Mel looked at the door, Macy’s headboard, out the window. Not once did she meet Macy’s eyes. It was a dead give away that she was going to say something but she didn’t want to hurt Macy’s feelings.

“So you think it’s crazy then. A whitelighter and a witch.” Macy nodded and settled into the sinking feeling of disappointed that swept over her. It was a familiar feeling, one that had traveled with her from birthdays to boarding school to pre-grad. She should be used to it by now but being used to it didn’t make the feelings go away any faster.

“Oh no, Macy,” Mel shook her head emphatically, “I’m not reacting to that I’m reacting to the fact Maggie was right.”

Macy’s pity party ground to a halt. The rain on her parade temporarily cleared and with new eyes, she studied her sister. How had Maggie come into this?

“A few weeks back I mentioned trying to set you up. Not-” Mel put her hands up defensively when Macy gave her a wounded look.

“Not because I don’t think you can find anyone else but because she was breathing down my neck about the Nico and Jada thing. I was handling things just fine on my own-”

“I don’t think calling in sick from work counts as handling-”

“I was handling it.” Mel cut her off pointedly and Macy, mercifully, let the subject go. Everyone had their own coping methods. Who was she to judge?

“I told her she should hook you or Harry up with somebody instead of focusing on me. I even said maybe hook you two up together and at the time we’d kind of laughed it off but now that I think about it,” Mel shrugged and gave Macy and honest look, “I don’t think it’s a bad idea.”

Hope swelled in Macy’s chest. The feeling was so foreign she had to press her hand against her sternum to contain the feeling. “You really think so?”

Mel nodded and smiled, “I think you guys would be so cute together. You’re both weirdly domestic and geeky in your own ways. I think it’d take some time to get used to the two of you but I could do it.”

Macy beamed at her sister and pulled her in for a hug. They never really had moments to hug without Maggie between the two of them but they fell into the embrace happily. How out there could the idea be if Mel was on board?

“And besides,” Mel began once they pulled apart, “Jada was half-whitelighter half-witch. At least you won’t be the first couple to make a go of it.”

Macy cocked her head to the side. She hadn’t thought of that. Or the fact that, should they have kids, they wouldn’t be just a ⅓ Black, ⅓ Latino, and ⅓...white? British? It would be difficult enough preparing her kids for a world in which their race might be used to shortchange them in life without the bonus of being a forbidden half-witch/half-whitelighter baby.

“Whoa,” Mel waved a hand in front of Macy’s face, “Earth to Macy! Are you good?”

Macy shook her head to snap out of the dangerous tangent her mind had gone down. Kids were a long way off if they were a possibility. Macy had never thought of herself as a mother. Although now she totally understood her mom’s decision to bind her powers. The thought of a three-year-old with telekinesis made Macy shudder.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah,” Macy tried to smile but she was too distracted to summon more than a grimace.

Mel offered Macy a smile, and patted her thigh, “Okay. I’ll tell Maggie you’re coming along.” She stood from the bed and took a step towards the door.

“You _are_ coming along right?” Mel paused in the hallway and leaned into the doorframe so they could still make eye-contact.

Macy nodded and waved Mel away, “Yes, I am coming. And I bet I’ll be ready before Maggie.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sighing, Macy turned to Harry and steeled herself. When he turned to her, no doubt sensing her stare, Macy nearly lost her nerve. His eyes were so warm when they met her own she nearly melted right then and there.
> 
> “Harry,” Macy bit her lip.
> 
> Harry smiled knowingly, “Yes, Macy?”

Macy padded into the kitchen later than usual, fully expecting her sisters and Harry to be crowded around the table, finishing what was no doubt a delicious breakfast. If the smells that carried her unseeingly to the coffee pot were to believed. On autopilot, Macy found a cup, poured coffee, dropped a dollop of cream (just enough to lighten the color of the dark drink), and no sugar.

Two deep, burning sips later and Macy was awake enough to peer around the now noticeably quiet kitchen. Her shock was muted when she found herself alone in the sunny kitchen, not a Vera or a whitelighter in sight. Cocking her head, Macy turned towards the clock on the far wall of the kitchen. Had she slept in that late? It didn’t seem possible. 

Cupping her warm mug of the good stuff, Macy padded at a quiet, not quite shuffle. A quick sweep of the first, then second floor revealed an empty house. The bathroom wasn’t even steamed up the way Mel always left it after her lava hot showers. Concern, stronger now that she was a few inches deep into her mug prompted Macy to turn and pad up to the attic.

Macy, careful of the creaky floorboards, tip-toed into the attic and scanned the dim room. She could hear shuffling and the soft off-tune sound of masculine humming. Rounding the corner put Macy out in the open but she didn’t care to mask the sound of her footsteps. Relief and delight filled Macy’s veins in equal measure when her eyes landed on the kneeling form of Harry. He had the Book of Shadows on the floor next to him but he paid it little attention as he shuffled here and there, drawing circles and strange markings with chalk.

“The house is a ghost town,” Macy called softly to warn him of her presence. As if Harry wasn’t already keenly aware of his eldest charge just behind him.

“Ah yes, Maggie had a Kappa commitment and Mel’s at work helping her boss with an order for the bar.” Harry finished his scribbling and turned kind eyes up at Macy when he finished.

“And it’s a shame because I had such a riveting lecture on cuneiform and it’s uses in wards with different kinds of magic.” Harry’s eyes gleamed and words and phrases Macy couldn’t understand began tripping out of his mouth. Macy smiled warmly as he pointed and explained, totally lost as to what this had to do with her and her sisters but also enthralled, totally captivated by the passion with which Harry spoke.

“You really love magic don’t you,” Macy said when Harry paused to dust chalk off his smart, tweed vest. She’d settled on the floor beside him, their sides separated by only a mere two inches of space. If she wanted, she could lean into him. She had the perfect excuse too. In his excitement, Harry had scuffed one of his chalk scribblings and now it resembles nothing like the drawings in the Book of Shadows.

Macy could lean and point, and it’d be so easy. And he was so close. She felt hyper-aware of his closeness, the empty house, how an opportunity like this may never come again. An opportunity so perfect, she couldn’t have created it better herself.

Macy’s heart ground to a halt, then restarted painfully in her chest. She’s right, she couldn’t have created a better fantasy. But the training orb could. It must have learned its lesson since Heaven’s Vice!Harry sent her laughing in his face. To be sure, Macy glanced at the mug she’s brought in nearly forty-five minutes prior. It was still steaming hot as if she’d just poured it from the pot even though there was less than an inch of it left in the mug.

Sighing, Macy turned to Harry and steeled herself. When he turned to her, no doubt sensing her stare, Macy nearly lost her nerve. His eyes were so warm when they met her own she nearly melted right then and there.

“Harry,” Macy bit her lip.

Harry smiled knowingly, “Yes, Macy?”

Words pooled on her tongue yet her lips remained pressed together. She had everything she wanted to say, everything she’d been thinking for at least a month or more right there! But when she looked at Orb!Harry she couldn’t stop thinking that it’s not real. Gah! Why couldn’t she say it? Why won’t the words come out? Yeah, it’s not Harry but it’s close enough. Why can’t this be enough?

Macy shook her head, “I am such a coward.”

Orb!Harry’s brow furrowed in sympathy but his smile remained pleasant. It was unnerving. He reached out to tuck her into his side, a move she’d seen Harry do to Maggie and Mel often enough but for some reason, she shifted out of Orb!Harry’s grip. He didn’t look hurt, which made her feel worse. Her Harry would turn to all his old world courtesies and politeness the second a touching moment turned awkward.

No matter the age, Harry was always a gentleman first.

“Why not say what you want to say to me? As practice.” Orb!Harry suggested reasonably.

Macy grit her teeth, she hated that she was being so reasonable about this. It was kind, the sort of suggestion real Harry would have made. 

“I don’t know what I want to say. I only just discovered my feelings myself.” Macy shrugged morosely, “How do you put that into words?”

Orb!Harry’s face went contemplative but Macy didn’t feel like sticking around to hear what he had to say. When she turned away from Orb!Harry and his chalk markings she found herself in the kitchen. A quick glance at the clock revealed she still had time before Mel and Maggie were up to make some breakfast.

Macy cracked and beat eggs on autopilot, her eyes out the kitchen window and staring into the distance at nothing. She had toast stacked on a plate waiting to be brought to the table and chorizo browning in the pan, waiting for her eggs. This time, the Harry the orb had created had been closer than ever at conjuring up the Harry she knew and…. Well, it was a pretty decent Harry impersonation is all she wanted to say. It mirrored those moments of quiet, alone time they sometimes got when both Mel and Maggie were out of the house and the supernatural world wasn’t coming for their necks.

The situation was perfect, but in the moment all she longed for was real Harry. Her Harry. 

Macy turned the stove off and took her eggs off the heat before turning and grabbing plates out of the nearest cabinet. For Maggie she made a quick bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter and honey, a Dexter Vaughn staple, because she knew her sister was more vegan than -ish lately. When it came time to make Harry’s plate Macy hesitated.

The whitelighter had gone back to his own apartment after the faculty meeting the night before. Embarrassingly enough Macy had planned to stay up once her sisters went to bed and have another midnight cup of tea with him. While struggling to lead a tipsy Mel up a flight of stairs she’d kept herself from dragging her sister by her ankles, stairs be damned, by thinking of Harry’s secret little smile when they shared an inside joke with one another.

Her little bubble was popped by Maggie, funnily enough, just as Macy had tugged off a pair of heavy combat boots and covered Mel with the half of her comforter she wasn’t sprawled all over. 

“Harry said the meeting ran late and his apartment was closer to campus than the house.” Maggie shrugged, already putting the whitelighter from her mind with the knowledge that he was home safe. While she turned into her room to begin step one of twenty of her nighttime skincare routine, Macy found herself paralyzed in the threshold to Mel’s room.

Macy, the only one of them who’d actually been to Harry’s house, knew that the whitelighter was lying. Harry didn’t have a lot of reasons to lie to them, but his sense of honor wouldn’t allow him to even hint to Maggie that he’d left the faculty meeting with a woman. Macy shook her head, _Stop it! You don’t know that, so don’t make assumptions. But she had, all night before fitfully falling asleep two hours before her alarm._

Before she could second guess herself, Macy made Harry’s plate and didn’t think twice about setting it on the table next to where she placed her own plate of food. A moment later, Mel and Maggie entered the kitchen carrying their conversation into the room with them.

“The car wash is for a good cause Mel!”

“Oh and I guess the bikinis are for the children’s hospital too?” Mel cocked an eyebrow at her sister playfully. The older Vera still didn’t understand Maggie’s obsession with the Greek system but she no longer judged her so harshly for participating in it.

Macy, through constant exposure to actual sisterhood, had learned that sometimes siblings liked to rehash old arguments for fun. There was no heat to either of their words when they took shots at one another so Macy shook her head at their conversation and focused on putting the dishes she’d made into the dishwasher.

“Ah hello ladies,” Harry’s cheery greeting sent a thrill to the pit of Macy’s stomach and she hadn’t even turned around to look at him.

Mel and Maggie offered a brief greeting before launching back into a debate on whether or not it’s exploitation if the exploited are exploiting themselves. Or maybe not, Macy wasn’t quite following. She was too focused on preparing herself to look at him. When Macy finally turned, a piping hot cup of tea on a saucer on her hand, she found Harry already looking in her direction. Meeting his eyes made her cheeks warm, and soon she found she couldn't meet his eyes. The way he stared at her ...Macy's heart began to race.

“Hey,” she said softly. If anything Harry’s smile turned warmer, the usual stiff posture he kept softened and he raised his fingers at her, another hello.

Silence in the Vera-Vaughn kitchen reminded Macy that they did, in fact, have an audience. Her cheeks suddenly felt hotter. _An audience that knows for a fact that I have feelings for our whitelighter._

Macy avoided the gaze of everyone in the kitchen as she made her way to her seat and set Harry’s tea next to his plate. The silence grew thicker and when Macy peeked through the curtain of her curls she found both Vera’s staring at each other knowingly. And Harry, poor Harry, he still had the soppy look on his face, one she’d no doubt mirrored a moment ago, as he took a sip of the tea she’d made. 

“So!” Macy said too loudly, “Maggie what’s this about a bikini and a children’s hospital?”

Harry’s ears turned red before the younger Vera could even open her mouth, something the Charmed Ones noticed immediately.

“Hey, Harry, “ Mel’s voice sounded too curious to be anything but trouble. Macy turned in her seat eagerly to see his reaction, thankful to have the attention off of her and her feelings.

“Melanie,” Harry warned.

Mel raised her hands in a show of (false) innocence, Maggie added to the gesture by making her already large brown eyes appear larger, more beguiling. “What! I was just gonna ask a question.”

“She was just gonna ask a question, Harry.” Maggie echoed, “You’re our whitelighter-” Harry stood up in the middle of Maggie’s words, shaking his head and grabbing his plate and tea.

Mel, Maggie, and Macy could barely contain their giggles as the posh whitelighter nearly ran from the room, ears a bright red all the while. Shooting her sisters a warm, thankful glance, Macy mouthed the words “Thank you,” Both Vera’s shrugged it off.

“Hey what are sisters for?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“I knew I’d find you here,” Harry gave Macy a saucy wink, his long fingers already tugging at the knot keeping his robe closed._

Macy didn’t get a chance to try the orb again for a while. Morningstar Labs only had her as the most senior person in the lab, which meant there was a lot to process. Paperwork wise. And life as a Charmed one was never any easier. Every other week there seemed to be a new disaster or catastrophe or mystery. With her workload the way it was and the supernatural world constantly on her doorstep, Macy celebrated her first night without having to go over budgets or wash demon gunk out of her hair with a bubble bath.

Mel was off at work, trying desperately to keep her job after all her unexplained (read: demon related) absences and Maggie was… hmm. Macy had lost track of Maggie sometime after dinner. She supposed she was down at the BSU, the only place Maggie could be if she wasn’t at home or doing Kappa things. Either way, it meant that Macy had the house to herself, and she reveled in it.

To start, she whipped up a gorgeous batch of macarons. The precise measurements and delicacy need to create such a pretty sandwich cookie calmed Macy. She’d spent that afternoon going through resumes and fielding emails from Morningstar Biotech headquarters and the dean alike. The headache induced by all the tiny letters and forced digital politeness went away while Macy carefully folded her ingredients together.

When the cookies themselves were in the oven and her filling left in the fridge to set, Macy skipped upstairs to get ready for a bubble bath. There was nothing Macy loved more than a long, soothing soak. Grabbing her towel, soaps, and a wide hair tie to tame her riotous curls, she set off for the bathroom. Her thoughts on nothing but the candle she’d choose to scent the air during her soak. 

The orb was a last-minute addition to her trip to the bathroom.

This time, Macy was aware when she slipped under the power of the orb. The setting hadn’t changed, she was still in the bathroom, soaking in her bath. But it was the little quirks around the room that told her that this was a simulation. And when Harry, clad in a bathrobe that matched the pink, monogrammed robe Macy could see hanging on a hook on the door, there was no doubt that this was a simulation.

“I knew I’d find you here,” Harry gave Macy a saucy wink, his long fingers already tugging at the knot keeping his robe closed.

Macy had half a second to enjoy the sight of him before his words, and his attire caught up with her. At the first glimpse of skin, Macy flinched, yanking herself out of the simulation and back into reality.

“Okay,” Macy let out a shaky exhale, “Okay not what I expected but fine. It’s fine.” She was anything but fine.

Macy, though a novice in sexual exploration, wasn’t unaware of her sexual attraction to Harry. That, of all things, had never been a hard leap for her mind to make. But when Orb!Harry began peeling off his robe Macy hadn’t wanted to see the simulation through. It was one thing to try testing out her feelings on a simulation, her mind didn’t like the idea of seeing something Harry should show her himself.

Shame and embarrassment felt like a filthy film over Macy’s skin, and no amount of scrubbing with rose-scented soap could make it go away. She couldn’t get back into the headspace after that.


	5. Chapter 5

Macy decides to give the training orb one last shot. Harry has begun searching the house for it and there’s only so long Maggie and Mel can throw him off the scent. Macy carefully coordinated Harry’s absence from the house with a new and improved plan for the simulation. This time, instead of going in there to see what the simulation threw at her, Macy would focus on gathering her thoughts into words. She figured if she could tell Orb!Harry how she felt at least once she’ll be able to tell real Harry as well.

To make up for roping Mel and Maggie into her pining, Macy whipped up a dozen cupcakes with buttercream frosting and gingersnap cookie garnishes. Harry isn’t at the house tonight, still grading finals in his office back on campus, and her sisters are off doing their own thing. Maggie, no doubt partying all that hard-earned studying away and Mel had a shift at the bar. After assuring them that yes, this was the last time and yes, she would eventually speak to Harry, the Vera’s were off and Macy Vaughn was home alone.

Growing up she’d hated being alone. Well, hated and accepted it. Growing up an only child and then being one of two black girls in her whole boarding school had prepared Macy for a loneliness she’d expected to feel the rest of her life. Mel and Maggie had gone a long way to reminding her that she was loved and valued not just as their sister but as a friend. Still, it was nice being alone sometimes.

Being alone, when you know your sisters will be home any minute or a whitelighter will be orbing in to lecture about magical theory, was a different kind of loneliness than what she’d grown up with.

Before she went under, Macy gathered her thoughts and reminded herself that this was just practice. A trial. This wasn't the real Harry and even if it was, the real Harry would be gentle with her feelings. Even if he decided it was too risky for them to be together.

Macy didn’t feel herself slip into the simulation, she too busy running the same thoughts over in her mind. She needed to remind herself that this was Harry, posh, pin wearing, whitelighter with a love for bad jokes and milky tea.

The slamming of a door snapped Macy out of her mental chanting and put her immediately on guard. With the addition of a few wards, they had been able to keep supernatural creatures from just barging into their house unannounced. But Maggie had a silly habit of not locking the door behind her. Who knew who was down there?

Macy cautiously walked towards the front door, her magic rising in her belly while she prepared for any possible threat. Footsteps sounded from the foyer, the gait familiar to her even though their owner remained a mystery. Just as Macy prepared to call out and let the intruder know she would fight back if she had to, Harry stepped into view looking harried and surprisingly windswept.

"Ah, Macy, just the witch I was looking for," 

The scene was so familiar, Macy should have known this was just a simulation. Mel and Maggie out of the house at the same time was too convenient. This was her chance, Macy needed to act now. No thinking.

"Where are your sisters," Not!Harry asked.

"Out, Harry I need to get this out so just," Macy used her powers to move him over to the couch. With one gentle telepathic push, she had him flopping back onto the couch.

Usually, Macy tried to refrain from using her powers on people. She had pretty good control over objects with mass but it would be all too easy to mean to nudge someone and instead send them flying through a wall. Not!Harry couldn't be hurt no matter what she did, so Macy felt comfortable to bend her rule a little.

"Macy -"

"Harry, could you just-" Macy sighed, "Just let me say this." 

Not!Harry looked confused, but he didn't try to speak again. After a moment he nodded for Macy to continue.

"Thank you. I've been trying to get this out for weeks and you- Well not _you_, the _real_ you out of a simulation, has been looking everywhere for the orb."

Harry's eyebrows rose and Macy winced, "Right, off-topic,"

Once again gathering herself, Macy said, "Harry I like you, a lot. And I have for some time now. But the timing wasn't right with Charity, then Gavin and it just felt wrong to spring this on you after I figured out your feelings for me as the Source,"

Harry had the grace to look away but once the awkwardness passed he returned Macy's searching gaze. It made Macy feel brave enough to continue. She took a step forward and sat on the coffee table in front of him.

"I really enjoy spending time with you, Harry. I love that I can talk to you and that I feel safe with you. I trust you, with all of me." Macy finished with a nervous breathe and smiled hopefully at Not!Harry. The sense of relief she felt at finally getting all of that off her chest made her feel weightless.

"I don't know why I waited so long to say all that-" Macy began, finally looking at Not!Harry. His eyes were so like her Harry, only the way they looked at her. So open and filled with more feeling than any simulation has ever had before.

Even his cheeks were slightly pink. Macy found one of her hand reaching up to stroke one, kind of stubbly cheek. She'd wanted to feel the warmth for herself yet found herself entranced by the feel of his skin. Would real Harry's skin feel like this?

"May I speak, now?" Harry's voice was low, and the rough timbre of it sent a thrill down Macy's spine.

"O-of course! I'm sorry for being so abrupt it-"

Not!Harry surged forward and kissed her. Macy, as close as they were, saw the move, had time to stop him if she'd wanted to. And even though he was just a simulation, even though this wouldn't really be their first kiss, Macy didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned into the gentle press of the softest lips she'd ever felt before.

"I'm home! Early, unfortunately. The bar was dead so- Oh my god!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the end! I had a lot of fun writing this. Now that the show is back I feel good about writing something so fluffy and lovely because I can tell they want to make us hurt this season. 
> 
> Let me know what you think, leave kudos/comments/etc. and if you wanna talk about my work I'm all over social media.

After a stern lecture from Mel, during which no one made eye contact, the possibility of Macy and Harry was no longer a possibility. They were giving this, _them_, a shot. And no one was happier about that than Maggie. When she found out she resorted to her sorority girl clapping and squealing until Macy joined in.

Harry endured the squealing and jumping with a lot more grace. Although he would, because unlike Macy he’d managed to maneuver out of Maggie’s wingspan and thus, wasn’t forced into a hug.

"Tell me everything! Start to finish," Maggie pulled away from Macy and grabbed her hand, leading her over to the couch. Mel followed after them with a teasing smile on her face directed at Harry.

"And that's my cue top start the kettle," Harry lept from the couch with all the grace he could and disappeared into the kitchen. Leaving Macy to the mercy of her gossipy little sister.

"Um I can help you with that-" Macy called after him, eager to escape her Maggie’s questioning.

"Nonsense you and your sisters have a lot to catch up on. I shouldn't be more than a moment,"

_That crafty Whitelighter. _

Macy tried, between Maggie’s aww’s and gasps of delight, to tell the story with just the bare facts. She discovered Harry had feelings for her, she realized her own feelings for him, and then after careful experimentation (and one accident) she’d admitted her feelings to him. It was all very simple and Macy hoped that the pointedly non-romantic recollection of events would put Maggie off but she should have known better. As an empath and a hopeless romantic Maggie was all over the light blush in Macy’s cheeks and the way she couldn’t stop looking over at the kitchen, hoping for a glance of Harry.

She could admit, now, that she liked the way he looked puttering around the kitchen. He may still use a sleeping bag in the attic, but he moved through the house as if he belonged there. Macy loved it.

“You can’t fool me, Macy Vaughn,” Maggie said slyly around a smile.

Macy turned to her sister in surprise, “What? She looked to Mel for clarification, “What?”

Mel shook her head and laughed, “Maggie it’s not fair to use your powers against your sister,”

Maggie scoffed, “I’m not using them “against” her I’m letting her know that I know _exactly_,” her eyebrow raised, “How she feels.”

“Oh, my god,” Macy wanted to sink into the floor. She could die of embarrassment knowing her sister could feel how she felt about their whitelighter. 

Maggie and Mel giggled at her, and Macy supposed that was another part of being apart of a family she’d gotten used to.

  


The scene before her was both familiar and not. Maggie and Mel were out, though that was because Macy and Harry had kindly asked them to occupy themselves while they went on their first date. Well, the first official date. Macy and Harry weren’t counting the ones she’d gone on with Orb!Harry. And Macy didn’t really count their first kiss as a date either though Harry had a way of looking at her with those warm hazel eyes of his that made her think; maybe it was the first date.

Because despite her worries things settled remarkably easy for them. Maggie and Mel just wanted them to be happy. Harry still couldn’t believe she desired him back, though he was being very sweet about going through the process of wooing her. Macy hadn’t had sex since Gavin. Harry was too polite to tell her when he last had sex but they both agreed they wanted to take things slow. They wanted, and don’t judge them, to kind of go through the motions of dating they missed out on as teenagers and young adults.

So that’s why a small table for two had replaced the dining room table. That’s why Macy had allowed Maggie to do her hair and makeup before she left. She looked beautiful in a deep blue midi dress. She didn’t have much in the breast department but her dress hugged her frame and made Macy feel almost...desirable. Or at least worthy of desire.

And the look in Harry’s eyes when he greeted her at the foot of the stairs because what girl doesn’t want to make a grand entrance, made all her primping and stress worth it.

Harry had cooked an amazing meal of lamb chops, mashed purple potatoes, and brussel sprouts perfectly cooked and seasoned. He’d selected wine and lit candles to add a glow to the otherwise dark room. Everything was perfect, genuinely perfect in the way that the orb couldn’t recreate. The orb couldn’t give Harry that concerned little furrow between his eyes while he fought with a brussel sprout _magically_ bouncing around his plate.

The orb also couldn’t recreate the butterflies in Macy’s belly when Harry, who quickly caught on to what she was doing, distracted Macy from playing with his food with a tender kiss. A kiss that set her whole body alive and made their delicious but now unimportant dinner an afterthought.

That kiss carried them to her bedroom when they lay, fully clothed, on top of the covers and enjoyed the feeling of being close to one another. Harry was obviously the more experienced kisser between the two of them so Macy followed his lead, her analytical mind studying his technique and prompting her to experiment with a few of her own. On instinct, Macy nibbled on Harry’s lip, and the groan she was rewarded with left her gasping into his mouth.

After that, it could have devolved into sex but somehow it didn’t. Somehow the two of them were content to just kiss. Passionately, fervently, at first. And then the kisses became gentle, and Harry’s embrace became soft as well. Until soon they were just laying in bed together, being close and enjoying the rare joy of getting exactly what they wanted for once.

And of all the dates Macy has gone on with Harry, this was the best one.


End file.
